Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 140 gr SST in 260 Rem for Sheep

The Hornady SST 140gr. is giving me the best combination of velocity and accuracy at 2860 fps in my .260 Rem Savage Model 16. I've got the tapered point of the plex reticle on my 3-9 Conquest spot on at 400 yds.

Will this bullet give me the terminal performance I need on a once in a lifetime sheep hunt here in Wyoming?

At that velocity, I would hope so. That's almost 270 Win speed with a 140 gr bullet...

With a 22" barrel? What powder charge are you using?

It'll do the job, but I'm also curious about what your recipe is.


Edit: REALLY curious now as I just realized I am the former owner of that rifle!

Couple of quick q's:

How longs the tube?

What's the load you're running?

Have you clocked it and had it come out at the speed more than once?

And, what kind of primer pocket life have you experienced with the load?

Sounds like a incredibly warm load to me but I sure could be wrong. My .260 is a 22" and 2700 is pretty much it for the 140's.

Many thx

Dober

Oh and to answer your Q about the SST working. I've never used one but I can't imagine it not doing what you need done on a sheep. Sheep just aren't that big. Now an eland.....grin

Dober

I guessed 2860 as an average and I just ran the last 15 shots through the calculator and had a 2860.8 average, (good guess!) Just started with this so brass and pocket life are unknown.

Rye Daddy is indeed the former owner. Your old rifle might be going sheep hunting. Just drew the tag last week.

Just gave the brass a good look (with my reading glasses) and no ejector marks, primers ok, no craters or excessive flattening. Bolt lift and extraction was normal. I think we are good here pressure wise, temp was about 60`

The load is 44 gr of H4350 in Rem brass, CCI BR-2 primers, 0.015" off the lands for an OAL of 2.870"

22" Savage factory barrel. Accuracy so far is 2-5 shot groups at 100 yds of 1" (allowing barrel to cool) and 3 shots at 400 of 3.5". Tried a couple at 500 just to check the drop. Very early in load development but I'm pretty happy with this so far as a hunting recipe.
The Berger 140 VLD ran this load OK but not as accurate and a little slower at 2830 fps or so.

Just curious how the 140 SST was on game of this size, I suspect it would be similar to a Nosler Ballistic Tip. Which is OK with me.

I went to Kodiak Island for a Mt. Goat hunt a couple years back. I shot one at 424 yds using a 150gr SST from my 300 wsm. I personally would not do that again. The exit hole you could probably have stuck 2 fists through. Luckily it was far enough back that I was able to get a shoulder mount done...but boy was that one heck of a hole! Gernade!

In a 22 inch Ruger, 44 grains of IMR 4350 run me 2750 fps with a 140 grain bullet...

Think you'd do better with a plain old corelokt or Hornady SP in 140 grain Mode...

doesn't Nosler finally have a 140 grain ballistic tip or a 140 grain Accubond?

+1. I know Quick Load is not exact, but FWIW, with your load, OAL and velocity, I get a pressure of 73,798 psi with it.

Don't have my Hornady manual handy but Hodgdon Load Data shows the Sierra 142g HPBT max H4350 load at 44.5 grains. Shows the velocity as 2735 and pressure as 58,000 psi. Certainly not the same brand bullet but looks like the load would be in the ballpark with the SST.

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

It also shows the 140 Partition with a max of 42.0 grns and a PSI of 58,800. It's sometimes a slippery slope replacing same weight bullets with another makers data. I'd been one who years ago thought they were pretty much interchangable until I blew a primer.

I worked that load up with the other makers data to 1-2 grns under their max and it shot well. My next outing a few days later I blew a primer. I was chrongraphing it at the time and got Weatherby velocities with a 130 grn in my 270 Win. I later punched it into QL and IIRC got around 78,000 PSI. Not saying anything's wrong here but does seem a bit warm.

Yeah, I got back and looked in the Hornady manual and the max load with AA4350 is a little less than 42gr, I think it was 41.7. They don't even list H4350 in #7. What I was thinking was the Hornady bullets are generally slicker than most other brands and if the Sierra could take 44gr the SST might as well. Always check the book.

Hodgdon load data also lists the 160 gr Hornady RN at 43gr with H4350. And the 140 Partition at 42gr, as M1Garand stated.
In the .260 thread on 130gr loads several were using 45 grains, so I figured backing off one grain with the 140's wouldn't be too far out of line.
I think you have to read between the lines on the published data sometimes.
I have noticed on most of the rifles I load for, when you seat the bullet out from the published OAL you effectively increase powder capacity and there seems to be a corresponding drop in pressure, requiring you to add powder charges over maximum book recommendations to reach common established velocities.
But in ballistics as most things, TINSTAAFL, and once you attain these velocites, is when the pressure signs start. it has happened to me before, and I back down from that point right away.
This load does seem to be on the high side of velocity, but not too radical of a powder weight according to some of the data, and not showing a hint of the common pressure signs. Until it does, I'm going to call it GTG.
I did try the Nosler ABs and BTs, not the accuracy I was after. And where I'm hunting, ranges could be long and it is notoriously windy, I want high BC design bullets so flat bases I'm not going to waste time and powder on. Berger VLDs shot as good at 2700 fps but groups opened up as speed increased. Kinda had my heart set on them too, oh well.

Hodgdon does not list data for the 100 Partition or Hornady Interlock, only the older Barnes X. They do list the 95 V-max with H414, 46 grains starting and 49 max. With my 100s, is 48-49 grains a good max to try for? I will start with 45. Without starting another .260 thread, I thought this would be a good place to ask. Thanks.

I used to run 43.5 g h4350 from my old 700vls 260. It was a great shooting load but only clocked 2775 fps with a 140 sierra. It was a bit warm but I never had any problems with it.

Bb

I wonder what weight of H4350 this guy's using...

http://www.opticstalk.com/hornady-sst-for-whitetailmy-02_topic9614.html

WYcoyote,

What distances off the lands and grooves did you try the Berger at?
Berger recommends as much as .150" and claims you will find a 0.030 to 0.040 sweet spot.

Shod

He may be lying about using H4350 and filling the case with TNT.

I went from just touching to .005", .01", .015" and .03", but that's about it. I guess I should try them deeper, have read the Berger info about the possible long jumps being accurate.

Anyone here have any luck seating them deep?